The Hunter of Destiny
by Fatemperor
Summary: Oh dear, I've disappointed myself again. I had some hopes for this story but they just didn't fall through. Ah well. A writers life is full of failures. Consider this story dead please.
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

This is a story that has been brewing inside my head for some time. It will have two parts, namely BBY and PBY or Before Battle of Yavin and Post-Battle of Yavin.The first partconcerns my Sith OC and his transgressions against the Jedi so if your not a Sith fan, I say again, Don't Read! I don't mind flaming/constructive criticism but I told you so.

Disclaimer: Star Wars and everything pertaining to it are owned by 20th Century Fox, George Lucas and affiliates, Obsidianand Bioware. Only Devien Tavar and the other OCs are mine.

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Chapter 1: Discovery

**_15,000 years BBY (That's before the Battle of Yavin for all you non-die-hard-fans), the Republic is enjoying a lull in the struggle for its own existence. The Sith have been beaten back yet again to the Unknown Regions and the galaxy is at peace._**

**_The Jedi are numerous, almost 100,000 in total, serving as peacekeepers, ambassadors, explorers, scientists, researchers and so on. At the Enclave on Dantooine, many Jedi have gathered to train new younglings in the ways of the light side to prevent the Sith from rising again._**

**_But there is an unseen threat at the Enclave, Jedi are being killed, inexplicably and brutally, already seven have fallen..._**

(Scene shifts downwards, Dantooine can be seen from space)

Rhea Wilken, Jedi Master of Corellia, second only to _Him_ in lightsabre duelling, was lying in her bed, sleeping. She felt something cold touch her stomach, something cold and pointed, she opened her eyes to see a dark figure there, with a sword (A Kodachi to be precise) to her abdomen. After six Jedi murders in the last two months, she knew her time had come. Then the figure drew back his cowl, and recognition came to her, "It was you? But why?"

"It is the way of the Sith: the strong shall survive, the weak shall perish. You were not strong enough. Not strong enough to break free of the bonds which hold you! Not strong enough to love me! Not strong enough to be yourself..." _He_ trailed off. With that _He_ leaned on the sword, sliding 75 centimetres of cold steel through her and into the bed.

"No..." she gasped, as _He_ soundlessly slid it back out. With her dying breaths, she channelled her energy into leaving an imprint of her thoughts and memories through the Force, so others would be able to punish _Him_ for _His_ crimes.

_He_ glanced at the sword, slick with her still warm blood, "I should give her a fitting memorial," _He_ thought. _He_ charged _His_ left hand with Force lightning and sliding it along the blade, reforged the sword anew. Tempered with her blood and the power of the Dark side, steel woven with cortosis to resist lightsabres, the blade turned black, black as the night, night without stars (picture a Kodachi with the hilt flush to the sheath, both of which are black and you have a totally black sword. Cool, eh?). "Excellent," _He_ thought. Pausing to take her lightsabre, _He_ left without once looking back.

Each of the other Jedi before her had also been slain in cruel ways, although by no means the same.

The sixth, a Mon Calamari named Silgar had been researching the source of the midichlorians in our bodies, those symbiotic beings which give us the power to wield the Force. He had discovered that they are everywhere, when a new being is produced, for lack of a better word, they swarm towards it, resulting in an affinity for the Force if enough are absorbed. He had been killed in a most unusual manner, well, that is to say, he had sustained no visible wounds and no internal injuries, it was as if his brain simply shut down, however we know brains do not normally do that. His lightsabre had also been taken.

Before him, a Cerean, Ra-Koda-Hunde was a pioneer into a totally new lightsabre form, Form VII, Juyo. Very skilled in the fighting arts, he would not have gone down without a fight. True to his nature, the wounds he sustained were horrendous, he had been de-armed and hacked apart as if by a wild beast. However, the cuts he received were deadly and precise, as if the wielder of the murder weapon was an expert in Cerean anatomy. Lightsabre: gone.

The fourth to die was an innovator, not terribly strong in the Force, andalways had had trouble controlling his emotions.He sought a new material to create better armour plating for the Republic. One day he stumbled across a totally new compound through a unique blend of certain elements unknown to Earth chemistry, as such I will not attempt to describe them. He tested it with blasters, fusion-cutters, welding torches, corrosives and even his lightsaber. All had trouble cutting through or even marking the substance (This leads me to assume that cortosis may have been involved). "Amazing!" he said to himself, and hurried to tell the Council before turning in.

As he reached the door to his laboratory, it opened, startling him, _he_ swept in, cloak trailing behind. "What have you discovered?" _He_ asked.

"It's incredible, I was stupefied!" With that he began to spew everything that he had tested it with, he even took his lightsabre and cut at the sample he had, a small cube, there was no effect. When he had finished, _He_ said, "You really should learn to keep a few things to yourself." With a blur of movement, _He_ channelled the power of the Dark Side into _His_ right fist and struck the unfortunate scientist in the solar plexus. _He_ might as well have hit him with a missile; the "Force" of the blow sent his sternum through his spine and into the wall, yet not one drop of blood stained _His_ robes. Then _He_ was gone, taking yet another lightsabre and the sample with him.

Third was and adept of Djem So, Form V, also called Advanced Shien by some, Katara Ven of Ryloth (That's the Twi'lek home world for all you non-die-hard-fans). Katara was third in the temple, his trademark fighting style unchallenged except by Rhea Wilken and _Him_. _He_ entered the room silently, seeking to stalk _His_ prey. But Katara's perception of the Force never left him, even as he slept. He whipped off the sparse covering and lunged for _Him_, igniting his lightsabre at the same time, sensing the evil intent within _Him_.

_He_ looked at him, as if slightly miffed, with a wave of _his_ hand, he muffled the sounds in the room, and then with barely a crook of a finger, Katara was halted in mid-air to change direction and slam into the wall. The sheer force of the blow stunned him; _He_ slammed Ven into the wall twice more, sensing Ven was still alive, made sure he would tell no tales by crashing him into the wall so hard he stayed there. After retrieving Ven's lightsabre from where it had fallen, _He_ left, a dark shadow in the night.

Second to fall was a Jedi of particular strength in the Force, having a midichlorian count of nearly 30,000. Apparently caught unawares, he was meditating in his quarters when he had been smashed into the ceiling and pinned there by a model of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the central tower transfixing him and the four secondary towers became part of the ceiling.

The first Jedi to have fallen, two months prior to Rhea's murder, was skilled in the art of Form I, Shii-Cho (Kit Fisto pales in comparison). His ferocity coupled with an almost precognitive sense of the world around him made him a near invincible opponent, even when outnumbered. However, his skill was no match for _His_ cold precise fury. _He_ moved too fast for the eye, too quick to parry and seemed to be in many places at once. Only by totally immersing oneself in the Force could he hope to hold out for longer than a minute.

This was the first time the Kodachi had been used, _He_ had made it, for this was an age when lightsabres were symbols of prestige and only held by advanced knights and masters. Crystals were hard to come by for the planet Ilum had not been discovered yet. Even after constructing _His_ lightsabre _He_ continued to use the Kodachi, perhaps because _He_ liked the colour red (Blood, get it?). There were bits of Master Dan-Ker of Iridonia all over the Council Chambers where he'd been meditating and his torso was impaled upon the central pillar, with one foot (1' not a body part) protruding out towards the vertex.

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Saran Agarnon paced the Jedi Inquisitorial Forces headquarters, around him, analysts, psyche profilers and other officers were working themselves to the bone trying to solve the string of grisly murders. And then the report came in... Rhea Wilken was dead, a single stab wound through her solar plexus, she lay almost peacefully – in a large pool of her own blood. She had no defensive wounds, suggesting that she had been taken by surprise, had known the killer or, that she knew her end was near. 

He sighed, he had known her for many years as she had come to the Enclave at the same time as him. They had even become Knights on the same day. She was known as the best lightsabre duellist this side of Coruscant, second only to _Him_. She had always been more in tune with the Force and although slightly emotional, had always been a true servant of the light side. Furthermore, he led the task force assigned to capture the murderer, with each passing day, Master Lik'Tan Ka'RanTik, Master of the Enclave, grew more worried about the situation.

With every passing day, the Force felt weaker, as if it were being drained from the Enclave, but that was nigh impossible. It was essential that the killer be found and taken alive, if possible to learn of his motives, was he a Sith assassin? Was it even a 'he'? Could it be a 'she'? Or an 'it'? Was it some alien creature that fed on the Force? So many questions, and so few answers...

Saran went to her room to check up on the status of the investigation, and also to see her body for the last time (Jedi are generally cremated FAYNDHFs). He could still feel her presence infusing the room, it was so familiar. All of a sudden he passed into her memory, her last thoughts: the dark figure, the face, RECOGNITION! The sharp piercing, and then oblivion.

Little did he know his day was to come sooner than he expected. He led his squad of Jedi to the Council Chambers and informed Master Ka'RanTik of his realization. Ka'RanTik warned them to take care when handling this foe, "I sense that he is much more than he seems, the Force is clouded and the shroud of darkness descends." Ka'RanTik seemed uneasy, quite abnormal for a near treelike organism almost twelve feet tall. That was a sure sign that something was afoot.

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Quote from _Rurouni Kenshin_ anime/manga, Shishio Makoto's philosophy; possibly from Charles Darwin's _The Origin Of TheSpecies_onnatural selection and evolution. 

See Wikipedia article on lightsaber styles and forms.

From here on, 'for-all-you-non-die-hard-fans' will be shortened to 'FAYNDHFs'.

FYI this is to show how powerful the old Jedi were by comparison, Yoda's midichlorian count is 27,000 and Anakin's is 27,700 (From _His_ midichlorian count varies as the story progresses, getting higher and higher, peaking at 75,000.


	2. Chapter 2a: Escape

Chapter 2: Escape – Part 1

Saran Agarnon and his team of JIF officers marched towards _His_ quarters, afraid of what they would find there. _He_ was extremely powerful, however most of _His_ early training had been conducted on _His_ home planet by one of the peacekeepers sent there during the war, this man had seen _His_ potential, but had been killed by the Sith. The rest of his forces had also been destroyed, only when this boy of nearly 14 had shown up at the door to the Enclave with a signed letter from the Knight had they known about _Him_. Now, seven years later, he had proved himself to be a tough opponent.

Even then they did not know the true extent of _His_ powers, his midichlorian count surpassed even that of Master Ka'RanTik, _His_ lightsaber skills were unparalleled in sparring and at twenty years old, _He_ was the youngest to ever be promoted to Jedi Knight.

_He_ had helped solve a dispute on Cestus between the X'Ting and human colonials. 1. Once again they were at war over mining claims, the X'Ting saying that the humans were not welcome, and the humans, making themselves welcome, with blasters. Although the bugs outnumbered them, the humans were having an easy time defending against them. So, _He_ had been sent to stop the fighting.

How _He_ did it is not known as _He_ went alone, as had always been _His_ way. In actuality, _He_ went there for his own purposes and had killed fifty dashta eels in order to make a Force enhancing cloak, one which _He_ now wore. Of course, the natives wouldn't stand for that. So _He_ took matters into _His_ own hands, using the power of the Dark side, he warped and twisted their minds until they were all 'happy', thus ending the war. Not that the Jedi knew about that.

_He_ felt no remorse for ridding the galaxy of six useless, foolish Jedi, having gained much knowledge from them, adding their skill and strength to _His_ already considerable powers. Only the last had shown promise. Rhea, so subtly powerful and of great beauty as well. She hid her emotions well, unlike most Jedi they ran just beneath the surface, not underneath a ton of rock.

He had considered taking her with him. He knew she wanted to love him, He felt her and reciprocated the feeling, she could denounce the Jedi and join Him in the ways of the Sith. Unfortunately, when the time came, it appeared that she was too indoctrinated, brainwashed by the 'teachings' of the Jedi. The veil covering her emotions, although thin, was impenetrable, like comparing a concrete wall to a sheet of titanium.

Ah well...

Saran stood outside the door, turned around and reminded his men that they were facing a powerful foe and to be wary of _Him_.

Inside, _He_ was writing on a datapad with a stylus. Leaving a note as _He_ prepared to make _His_ escape.

It read: "My dear 'friends', the time has come for me to reveal myself to you, you have always known that I was different, if not in what way. You have taught me well, in certain aspects, and poorly in others. I do not resent you for that, instead I pity you fools who have already corrupted so many with your misguided teachings and ancient beliefs, I pity that you cannot see that only through emotion and feelings can one truly become enlightened.

I am one such being. In concealing myself from you for so long, I have learned much. Much about yourselves, myself and the universe in general. This has been a long time in coming, do not blame yourselves for those who have so suddenly left the physical plain, they are but a drop in the ocean for the knowledge I've gained.

In all my existence, I have been plagued by one simple question, why am I here? Thus, in my pursuit of this divine meaning, I have decided that it would be beneficial to me to have more resources at my disposal.

Know that at this time I have made my choice. I am leaving soon if not already and I want you to remember me, if not for my skill and prowess then for the things I have done.

I assume you have already found the oh so obvious clue I left behind in allowing her to imprint her memories, and no doubt want me to be tried for my 'crimes'. I'm afraid I cannot let that happen. I have already surpassed you in many ways, if you decide to try and hunt me down, I will give you no quarter and I expect none.

P.S. I would like to leave my Kodachi as a memorial to _my_ dearly departed Master Wilken. If you want, you can display it as a symbol of my power.

Most assuredly, mine,

_Devien Tavar_"

Just as he finished, Saran Agarnon forced the door open and his squad burst in, taking up a semicircular position near the entrance. Devien did not even turn around, he had been expecting this since he felt their presence outside the door.

"Devien Tavar, you are charged with murder, espionage and for embracing the ways of the dark side." Master Agarnon enunciated.

"You say that as if it was a bad thing, Master Agarnon," he replied.

With that, he whipped around, and with a burst of the Force, sent all twelve of them crashing into the wall. Simultaneously, the stylus and datapad left his hands, the former burying all five-and-a-half inches of itself through the throat of one of them, pinning him to the wall; and the latter smashing the cranium of another with a sickening 'splutch' sound. They both died instantly.

The Jedi recovered quickly, but they were not terribly organised and had scarcely took heed of Master Agarnon's warning. Three of the younger ones recklessly charged forwards, lightsabers ignited. He didn't even look up.

As they reached him, there was a sudden flurry of movement, his Kodachi flashed out of its sheath, slashing across three times, blood sprayed across the walls from gaping wounds that suddenly appeared across their torsos, it was a second before anyone realized what happened, because the sword was already back in its sheath. Once again, his robes were unstained. Their faces contorted in agony and horror, they had not expected this. Then they crumpled to the ground, each in several pieces, Jedi robes no match for cold hard steel.

Their extinguished lightsabers flew silently to hook themselves onto Devien's belt. Saran knew then that he was way out of his league. Devien thought, five down, seven to go. One more Jedi who thought himself worthy of his challenge rushed forwards, lightsaber held high, intending to cut him in half lengthwise. Devien just looked at him, somewhat bemused, without even gesturing, the Jedi floated up into the air, and his body contorted in an unnatural position, there were several loud cracks, then he too was still as he hit the floor. 2.

Devien knelt down and picked his lightsaber up, igniting it, lazily twirling the glowing blade before turning it off and clipping it to his belt. Two more Jedi approached, more cautiously now. They held their lightsabers in guard position then struck, one vertically and one horizontally.

Then there was a collective gasp from the Jedi as he held the beams of energy, feeling the flow of the Force and controlling it so the beams came within a millimetre of him. He twisted the blades and buried them in the stomachs of their owners.

He now had nine (including his own) lightsabers clipped to his belt. Saran shouted to one of the three remaining JIF officers to run for help. As the unfortunate man reached the door, Devien unsheathed his Kodachi and hurled it at him, javelin style. Like a bolt of black lightning it impaled him right through the heart and threw him a good ten feet to slam into the opposite wall.

Then there was a flash of black robes as Devien Tavar, formerly Sith Adept turned Jedi Knight turned Sith Lord flew towards the last three defenders, lightsaber in hand, blue blade nearly blinding in the darkness. He sliced down at one of them, carving a cauterized swath from his collarbone to his right thigh, then cutting the other in two with an upwards slash.

That left only Master Agarnon squared off with possibly the most powerful Force user ever. "Master, if you'll let me pass, I have no need to harm you, you have always been kind to me in the past, I'm giving you one chance to live." Devien said.

"You know I can't do that, Devien, but if you surrender now I will guarantee you a fair trial and hearing."

"I was hoping you would see reason, Master... but I see now that you too are beyond! my! help!" He attacked, unleashing a furious barrage of strikes with just one hand.

Master Agarnon was fighting for his life, pushed into the defensive and having to focus completely on blocking each thrust with one of his own. Then, using an unorthodox and some would say unfair move, one of the other lightsabers clipped to Devien's belt ignited and came to Devien's other hand. It was then Saran realized he was doomed.

Saran parried one hit just a split second too late. The blade in Devien's left hand came up and stabbed through his abdomen, burning and sealing the wound as lightsabers do. As Devien leant closer to remove the blade, he whispered, "Goodbye, Master." Saran Agarnon sank to the floor, feeling the Force drain from him as his life ended.

Wasting no time on sentiment, Devien Tavar, self-proclaimed Sith Lord, strode down the hallway, and woe betide whosoever stand in his way.

1. See _Star Wars: The Cestus Deception_ by Steven Barnes from Del Rey and Ballantine Books.

2. Force Crush power from the game _Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords._


	3. Chapter 2b: Escape Part 2

Chapter 2: Escape – Part 2

Within five steps that he took, alarms blared and klaxons flashed, breaking the atmosphere of serenity inside the Enclave. Evidently, someone had felt those Jedi die and had sounded the alert, likely as not to be Master Ka'RanTik.

He walked on, moving stealthily, sensing the life flowing around him and avoiding others wherever possible, he was not prepared to take on _all_ the Jedi yet, not all at once anyway.

As he approached the elevator, the door pinged open, a Jedi Knight stepped out, lightsaber at guard position. With haste, Devien attempted to kill him before he could shout for help, but he did not, instead attacking. Foolish ingrate, Devien thought.

He dodged the few tentative cuts made by the Knight, then there was a hissing as his opponent's blade singed his cloak, for this lightsaber had been built with a length extension control, the first of its kind to do so. Do you know what you've done! He thought, Do you know how much trouble I went through to get this?

He felt the pure, tainted wrath of Sith Rage flowing through him and let himself be carried away by the dark side, it was as if the flow of the Force erupted with raw power! The Knight knew it was only a matter of time before he too was defeated, fighting as though there was a chance that he could win. There was not.

There was a whirring and a bam! as triple-layered durasteel blast doors slammed shut over the lift doors. Enough! thought Devien, as he, still in a rage, used the power of the Dark Side to fling the unfortunate Knight through the layers of blastproof durasteel to utterly destroy the interior of the elevator and send the entire thing plummeting down the shaft. Lets just say there was not much recognizable of the Knight when the wreckage was examined afterwards.

He then jumped into the now empty elevator shaft and landed perfectly at the bottom, his rage having cooled, he continued making his way to the hangar bays. He was about halfway there, having avoided three heavily armed patrols and silencing a technician who just happened to be passing, he had to go past the dormitories in order to reach the Hangar.

There was a group of Padawans who had just finished morning lessons and were discussing Jedi principles as he passed. Suddenly one of them took notice and shouted a warning to his fellows. They ignited their lightsabers and advanced, albeit slowly.

'Don't you know that a lightsaber is supposed to be the last resort in any conflict?' Devien said casually. Momentarily distracted, it was easy for Devien to get a grip on the leader's throat and crush it, he crumpled. 'See what I mean?' Stunned by the loss of their friend, the last thing they saw was a blue blur. A moment later, seven bodies littered the ground, but he was once again, gone, with seven new lightsabers.

As he approached the hangar bays, Devien felt a presence in the Force, one that he knew well, it was the distinctive feel of Master Lik'Tan Ka'RanTik. It was feasible that the oh so esteemed Jedi Master had anticipated him and was now preparing an ambush. Well, he thought, it had better be one hell of an ambush if they are trying to get me.

He unclipped two of the lightsabers from his belt, it didn't matter which two, they were all his anyway. He ignited them as he strode, haughtily into the hangar bay. Master Ka'RanTik stood there, along with a hundred Republic troops and thirty Jedi knights and masters.

'Devien Tavar,' he started, 'you have no chance of escape! Surrender now and we might take a lighter view on your case'

'Why Master, have you not learnt from dear Master Agarnon's mistake, you foolishly assume that since I do not want to be captured, I fear death. On the contrary, I embrace death as I would my own brother, everyone dies, its just a matter of when. Those who I killed, I decided it was their time for them. Now if you'll kindly step out of my way...'

'You will not leave this room except in chains or in pieces!'

'I plan on being in neither, but in that ship,' gesturing towards his personal multipurpose assault fighter.

'Come quietly and I assure you it will have bearing on your...' he was cut off as Devien Tavar lunged, lightsabers flashing. The space where he had been was filled with blaster bolts, the few which came close he deflected right back at the soldiers. Barely hearing their screams, he focused on clearing a path to his ship.

The Jedi around him charged, with a lot more coherence than the rabble who had cornered him in his room. He parried any slashes which came close, along with the arms which held those lightsabers, plucking each one out of the air as it fell. All around him, Jedi and soldiers were falling. He cut a swath through them, none of their strikes even coming close.

More and more closed in, in a totally unheard of manoeuvre, using the Force, he threw all the lightsabers he had upwards then ignited them simultaneously. The room flashed with many colours, they descended and formed a whirling perimeter of energy, at its core stood he. Any Jedi stupid enough to try and get close was instantly shredded, as he added the lightsabers of those fallen in battle to the vortex of death.

Then, with a shout that demanded attention, Master Ka'RanTik said, 'Fall back, he's mine!'

The Jedi obeyed their Master, retreating, lightsabers still held at guard position. Devien held himself loosely, relaxed, if he was worried it did not show in his face or in the aura of calm he radiated. But underneath this facade was the burning fury of someone who had been through extreme torment.

All the lightsabers turned off, one by one and returned to him, attaching themselves to his robes and belt, seemingly without need for anywhere to clip themselves. Held there by the Force? Perhaps.

He strode forward, lightsabers on him like mail made of cylinders, seeming not to hinder his movement any. All of a sudden, his lightsaber was pressed against Master Ka'RanTik's violet blade, Rage against Calm, Passion against Peace, Discord against Harmony. He withdrew, the two opponents circled each other, searching for an opening.

Their lightsabers clashed again, cool blue sparking off brilliant purple. He increased the power and speed of his strikes, flashing as Master Ka'RanTik parried each blow. They seemed to be equally matched, but one never could tell with him. Devien upped the ante, drawing on his skill combined with the torrent of Dark Side power that ran through him. Master Ka'RanTik faltered for just a second and his lightsaber grazed the older being's left arm. Devien used the Force and propelled him into the nearest wall, not easy to do when your opponent is six feet taller than you.

He took the chance and sped to the ship, using the Force to start the engines and shields before he even reached it. The ramp lowered, he rushed aboard and hit the sublight drives, concentrated ionized Tibanna gas roared out of the exhaust ports, incinerating the dozen or so Jedi around the fighter.

He lit up the sky with the luminous vapour trail and shot straight up, plotting a course for the Tatooine system. He pulled the lever and disappeared into hyperspace.

As he gazed out of the viewport at the swirl of incomprehensible colours that marked the passage of spacetime outside the ship, he contemplated what he was to do now, when he reached Tatooine and after he was done there. Then he knelt in silence and meditated, feeling the rush of energy that the Force always brought him when he reached this trancelike state.

He saw many possible futures, what may or may not come to pass, events that would not kill an ant and those that would change the Galaxy. He saw what fate befell others and the cloudy images of his own destiny, ever closer yet ever more distant; for a moment, he saw eternity itself, the infinite bounds of time and space surpassed by a mere mortal, yet this was no ordinary mortal.


	4. Chapter 3: Preparations

Chapter 3: Preparations

The sleek black ship landed smoothly in a large clearing in the extensive forests of the lush green planet of Tatooine. Using a long dormant remote signal, the forest floor dropped and sank into the depths, replaced with a holoscreen/forcefield. He had built this base a few years ago when he'd first laid down plans for the destruction of the Jedi Order.

He'd requested and received permission to spend a few months in seclusion to meditate and find inner peace. Yeah right! He'd immediately come to Tatooine and begun construction of his base. It was not very large, so as not to attract attention, but then Tatooine was barely inhabited except by many species of dangerous creatures and a particularly tenacious race of indigenous natives.

There were still a few areas to touch up and the jungle had reclaimed some of his territory. He examined the wear and tear that this place had taken over the half-decade he had been gone. All of a sudden, there was an almighty roar and a tremendous crash as a Krayt dragon plunged into the basin from above. It shook itself and began to come towards Devien.

Ah, I needed a challenge, he thought. Drawing his lightsaber, he found that this dragon was the largest specimen he had ever seen, nearly seventy metres long from head to tail tip. He leapt up in a high arc over it and landed on its back, not that there were many places to land because of the spikes.

The dragon, sensing him there, tried to dislodge him by shaking its body wildly. Devien's lightsaber was ineffective against the beast's thick, armour-plated hide. Through the Force, he felt the weaknesses in the creature's anatomy and somersaulted onto the beasts head. However, it swerved to the side and he landed on the floor, with his back to it.

It opened its gaping maw, intending to chomp down on this savoury morsel, not expecting him to slide under and cut off half a front claw. The humungous lizard thrashed around, splattering the walls and floor with black ichor. He nimbly avoided the swinging tail and the slashing claws, jumping up onto the agonised dragon's head. He plunged his lightsaber first into one eye and then the other, blinding and further angering the beast.

Blinded and in pain, the Krayt dragon sought his quarry, but how does one get something off ones face? The dragon raised its uninjured claw and swiped at its face, Devien dodged between the two massive horns adorning the creatures head and cut of this claw completely. Now crippled, the dragon fell forwards, slamming Devien off its head and to the ground. Struggling to get up, it stood on the stumps of its front claws and brought its body to bear, Devien was faster though and cut a long vertical line down its abdomen.

Devien thought, that's what I like about this place, everything here has such a will to live. For the finishing blow, he once again jumped on the creatures head and stabbed it between the eyes, using the Force to push it in deeper than his hands could reach.

The dragon, its massive head rolled on its shoulders, and with a last, earsplitting roar, it died. Devien Tavar called his lightsaber back to him and quickly removed any traces of the dragon's acidic blood. Of course, he too had heard of the Krayt dragon pearls that are found in the belly of such creatures. Working along the gash he had made in the underside of the corpse, he found the gullet and cut it open, various stones popped out but one especially caught his attention.

It emanated waves of Force energy, he picked it up and cleaned it with a handkerchief. It was lustrously black and seemed to pulse with inner power, undoubtedly it would make for a fine focusing element for his lightsaber, he gathered up the other gems and then thought about how to get the carcass out of his lair. Laying down the lightsaber and gems, he raised his hands, calling upon the power of the Force to lift and throw the carcass out of the hole. Task completed, he activated a few droids and set them to work cleaning up the mess.

Devien Tavar knew it was only a matter of time before the Jedi, as well as the Republic would come looking for him. He had left a clear ion trail and had not randomised his trajectory; also, there were analysts and worse, Gand Jedi who with their 'divining' powers could sense him acutely, even so far away.

He had to prepare some nice surprises for them. Using the Force and his own technical and mechanical abilities, he designed and built auto-defence turrets around the perimeter of his base, and also custom made a pair of blasters for himself, using modified lightsaber crystals to focus the beams, and modifying the power cells to draw power from himself. Besides, he implemented the Krayt dragon pearl in his lightsaber, increasing the deadly potential of the already deadly weapon.

Using the same technology as his blasters, he reconstructed his ship to draw power from himself and thus not need refuelling; he also plated the fighter with that same material that he had retrieved from the now dead weakling. He could escape to virtually anywhere in the Galaxy, the ship itself would run unless he were dead.

But first, he had to show the Republic and the Jedi that he was not some fly to be swatted but a very real threat indeed. And to do that, he had to kill people, his favourite pastime.

Devien Tavar paced his room, lavishly furnished with expensive and exotic items from across the galaxy. He had no qualms about living life to the fullest, having denounced the Jedi principles of sacrifice a long time ago. He fingered a small shard of crystal that hung around his neck, a mere fragment of that which contributed to his immense power. Its surface was black, no, it was beyond black, it was a darkness, an emptiness which absorbed light, destroyed hope and crushed belief. The darkness seemed to pulse, sending out tendrils that quested for the souls of the innocent.

Putting himself into a trance, he plotted and for the downfall of the Jedi.

Activating a unique assembly matrix, he began to create large quantities of the black material which he christened cortosinium. Enough to create an army, or an armada. Sitting down, he drafted plans for an army of droids, one that could take out even Jedi. Each droid would have four limbs, each with two opposable 'thumbs' allowing for extreme dexterity, furthermore the 'fingers' would be claw-tipped for wall-climbing ability for an added element of surprise. Every one would be armed with two weapons of a sort never before seen, with lightsabers as the forward half and vibroblades as a rear half, they could wield these with hand or foot, it would not matter. Also, the weapons and the droids would be cortosinium plated, to be impervious to lightsabers.

But at the heart of the war machine that he wanted to build would be the crystals. The crystal fragments of a much larger whole that would make his droids have the power of the Dark Side coursing through them, and since that power stemmed from himself, they would be all but invincible.

Using the rest of the pearls retrieved from the gullet of the dragon, he constructed a device which when used, would be devastating to his enemies. It would turn them from invasion force to a bloody rout. With each death he caused, as the crystal absorbed more of the life-essence of others, his power grew.

Thank you to Acidic Paranoia, my dear sister for giving me my protagonists' name.

Thank you to Trillian4210 and CO Seth for their positive comments and support.


	5. Chapter 4: Invasion

Alert! Long chapter, 2000+ words... Not terribly long, well, longer than the previous ones anyway.

Again, acknowledgements to my sister, AcidicParanoia, and also to Trillian4210 and CO Seth.

* * *

Chapter 4: Invasion

The Republic Fleet glided through space, looking for all intents and purposes like a flock of vultures circling their prey. They were orbiting the green sphere that was Tatooine. The planet on which the fugitive, Devien Tavar was hiding. They had traced his hyperspace vector to this far removed part of the galaxy. As he had known they would.

On the surface, scout teams were distributed throughout the possible sites of his hidden base. The Gand Jedi, with their ability to peer into the possible futures, had pinpointed it to within a 500 square kilometre area in the Northern Hemisphere.

Devien Tavar was seated on a comfortable leather armchair sipping a steaming beverage. He had felt them arrive through the Force, and knew there were a lot of people searching for him. I should be flattered, he thought, that they think of me so highly. His had finished his preparations with only hours to spare when the Fleet jumped in. Being in his fighter, he had gotten here much faster while the size of the Fleet made it slow and unwieldy.

One of his last modifications was to insert a crystal of the same type as that which hung around his neck in his lightsaber focusing matrix in place of the usual coloured crystal. He ignited it, instead of the normal hum, it extended with a whisper, that seemed to hint at dark power and resonated with the Dark Side. A fitting weapon, he decided.

He could sense the teams of troopers, with a few Jedi per squad, all of them looking for him; soon, they would all die. For he had more defences than just those of the conventional nature.

* * *

Colonel Rax Talara watched her troops moving towards the cleverly disguised base from her command transport. It was totally surrounded and the transports were disgorging more and more soldiers each second. They could not lose. Not this time. Although she had been warned by the Jedi Council that this was no ordinary case, she was confident that her men could take down any renegade, Jedi or not. As they approached the edge of the sinkhole, they fanned out, intending to cover as much of the inside as possible before rappelling down. 

Not that that would make a difference. With a slight hiss of hydraulics, twenty beam cannons rose up from hidden positions beneath the ground and started firing. Red beams of energy and death lanced through the air, impaling troopers who fired back in vain, their shots harmlessly absorbed or reflected by the cortosinium coating.

* * *

Suddenly he was there among them, lightsaber swinging, he stabbed one soldier through the chest then slashed across to catch another one by the throat. One man got a shot off, only to have it deflected back at him, it burned a hole in his right arm, spinning him around and dropping him into the sinkhole. He landed a kick at one's armoured faceplate, snapping his head back and breaking his neck. 

The others in the squad backed off, fearful of his presence, then turned and ran. Devien felt someone taking aim at him, turning off his lightsaber, he unclipped the cover of his right holster. Waiting for the precise moment that the sniper fired, he dodged the bolt and whipped out the pistol, shooting the man clean through the head, from three hundred metres away.

A heavy trooper locked on to him with a portable rocket launcher and fired. The projectile abruptly halted two feet away from him and reversed course. Propelled by the Force and its own propulsion, it catapulted the man back into his squad and detonated. Colonel Rax Talara watched the carnage unfolding before her eyes. All this had taken just under a minute and her troops were still under fire from the beam emplacements, currently her biggest threat.

She assigned three squads of troops to take out the guns by any means possible and the rest to go for a tactical withdrawal and regrouping. In other words, retreat. She heard a muffled gurgle from behind her and turned. The first thing she saw were her command staff slumped over their consoles. The second thing...

He was there. Looking at her. She had seen what he had done to her men and how easily he had done it. He spoke, softly, gently, not like what she expected at all.

"Colonel, we both want to avoid unnecessary death. I am not above killing but I hate waste. And that is what will happen if you do not call your troops off. Now."

'What guarantee do I have that you won't kill them anyway?'

"None at all. You will just have to trust me."

'Hah! You say that word like you know it so well. All you traitors are the same!'

"Do it, Colonel, or I kill you now. Or at the very least make the action involuntary."

'What are you talking about? Me, betray the Republic? Just like you? Not a chance.'

"You force me to do this." He raised one hand, opened it, and closed it, deliberately slowly.

A few moments later, the comm aboard the Republic flagship crackled. 'This is Colonel Talara. I recommend an immediate and total retreat. We cannot win this battle.'

Master Ka'RanTik answered, 'What! No! We have ten thousand troops on the planet and even Devien Tavar will not be able to resist!'

"Master. How nice to talk to you again. Call them off. Or she dies."

'Never!'

"For a Jedi, you make many bad decisions. I'm sorry." There was the sound of a body hitting the floor. The comm went dead

* * *

Cera Winn, Jedi Knight was taking point for her squad of troopers and two other Jedi who were also assigned to this squad. She could feel the underlying fear and nervousness that the soldiers felt, they had all heard what he was capable of. She walked on, albeit cautiously, no telling when he might try and get the drop on them. 

A military transport temporarily blocked out the twin suns, each one capable of carrying 250 Republic troops. It cast an eerie twilight on the squad, even more so beneath the already dense tree cover. Then it passed; fifty of the transports were on standby to land troops and supplies when and where they needed them, when they had found him. There were many more in reserve aboard the capital ships of the Fleet.

A light breeze whistled through the trees, something that would ordinarily have lifted spirits slightly, however, that day, more than ever, it seemed to have an ominous air.

Suddenly, there was something, a tingling that could be felt through the Force, she turned around to warn her troops, and found no one there. Then she felt something she knew all too well.

It was the sudden discharge of the Force, which only happened when a Jedi died. Then it was abruptly cut off.

She realized she was alone.

* * *

Devien Tavar moved swiftly but silently through the forest. Towards where he had posted a squad of T-droids, as he called them. It was where they had first made hard contact. 

He had a personal connection to this Jedi. He saw her, trying her comlink, then clipping it to her belt in frustration and igniting her lightsaber. Fully alert, she scanned the greenery for any sign of anything, friend or foe.

He decided to give her a fighting chance and opened the shroud he held around himself to avoid detection by other Force wielders. She instantly turned towards him and brought the lightsaber to a guard position. He stepped lightly into her line of sight, lightsaber held casually in one hand.

"Hello Cera."

'You.'

"It's good to see you here; it proves you care, or should I say cared."

'You killed her you b------!'

"She could not be left alive, she knew too much about me, too much about my intentions, too much..."

'You didn't have to, you could just have gone!'

"Unfortunately, no, she knew about this place and I know she would have told the Council."

'You will pay.'

Cera darts forward and sends a green flash his way. With no apparent effort, a black bar of sheer darkness appears between her lightsaber and him. Pushing her off, he continues:

"No. It is you who shall pay. Pay for your injustices to the universe, to innocents who could have been saved, and the Sith who you all have wronged. Nevertheless, it is good to see you have improved. Perhaps your anger over her death has pushed you over the edge?"

'No, it is you who have become weak, weak from the taint of the Dark Side.'

"Oh really? And what do you think has happened to you? You still do not see, do you? You have some of that in you. You always have. Everyone does, its just what they choose to do with it. The Jedi do not give you that choice. The Sith do. Are you strong enough to break their chains? Will you too give up their misguidance?"

'I will kill you.' She said matter-of-factly.

"You will try." He replied, equally seriously.

(1) Their lightsabers clash once again, harder this time. There is no flash, conversely, the glow of her lightsaber becomes fainter. They both pull back, circling, Cera because she's assessing his weaknesses, Devien because he's playing along, toying with her.

She attacks again, her strikes becoming more and more unpredictable and at the same time getting faster. He, as usual, parries each one effortlessly, in fact, although she is attacking, he is slowly pushing her back.

He goes into attacking mode and lets loose a flurry of strikes that takes all her skill to deflect; he doesn't cease and manages to fling her lightsaber away. Deactivating his own, he calls hers to him. She attempts to snatch it away from him, but to no avail.

"Now do you see the futility of your attack? Do you see my true power? That was but a grain on a beach to what I can muster!"

'No, all I see is a man, one who has fallen so far that he has to convince others of his own power when he himself is insecure of it.'

"Cera, look at me,"

She looks up from where she has been staring at the ground.

"Look and see, and tell me whether I know myself."

She glares at him, but looks into him, using the Force to see what her own eyes cannot.

She inhales sharply and says, 'Yes, yes you do. But you do not know what it means to be you.'

"I've had enough of this!" He raises his hand and flings her into a nearby tree.

'Devien,' she stands once again, shaken but not broken. 'Devien, turn back, I know you loved her, you can still be forgiven.'

"You have no idea, none at all of what I want, what I am,"

'But-'

"No. I'm going to give you a chance to get away from here. It was her time to die. It is not yours."

'Devien, let the Jedi help you, you know we can,'

"You CAN NOT! And even if you could, you would not. Now go, go before I change my mind."

'You owe it to her to try!'

"I owe nothing!" he raises her lightsaber and prepares to cut her in two.

'If you truly are so far gone, then do it, dammit, and let me join my sworn sister!' she looks at him, pleading.

He lowers the lightsaber.

"Cera, why die today when you are still needed for my final plan? I want you to think about what I've said today, I want you to think about everything you've ever thought to be true, everything you ever thought was your own, everything you ever wanted but let go... I want you to go, and live for now... Do not resist me." (2)

He raises a hand and two droids drop from the canopy above. He instructs them to escort her to her ship, to make sure she straps in and lifts off.

Wordlessly, she follows.

After about ten steps, she turns around, and solemnly raises her hand in a gesture of farewell. He does the same, while tapping a remote with his left hand. Within seconds, the whine of repulsorlifts can be heard and a black shape appears, his fighter. With a precisely coordinated leap, he lands in the cockpit and shoots off, done with Tatooine.

* * *

(1) I shift into the present tense here because I felt it would bring the reader into the story more fully. Review to tell me whether it worked. If you don't like it, I'll change it to the past tense. 

(2) (The entire story) In this story, seeing as it takes place so long ago, I am trying to portray the Jedi as still being more gritty and unrefined, thus we can see some displays of emotion, and all is not as calm as later generations.

Do you _still_ think Devien Tavar is an average Jedi or Sith? Keep reading to find out.

More to follow. Enjoy.

P.S. The following chapter will not contain as much character profile creation and will concentrate on how Tatooine became a desert.

Yours,

Fatemperor

a.k.a. TQKL...


End file.
